Julie, a sweet, 11yr old first time camper, talked about how she often took on the caregiver role for her younger brother & sister. After prayer and watching how they were cared for by their own counselors, she was able to relax & have fun, commenting how she wished her whole life was like this camp. “With grandmas & grandpas & cousins here, it feels like a real family!” she said.
Julie could not believe that counselors and staff were not paid to be at camp. She even remarked, “I can’t believe this many adults can go without their phones for a whole week!” Her counselor, Jen, kept telling her that we were not paid, so she asked why we were there. Jen said, “Because we love you and want to be here,” but she just could not wrap her head around that idea.
Early on in the week, Julie and her camper roommate had formed a friendship. On the last night, they got into an argument and counselor Jen spent 2 hours sitting on the bathroom floor with the girls talking and crying. Julie turned to Jen and said, “Now I really believe you when you say you love me.”